International
Hundred of Scottish churches up for sale as UK turns away from Christianity
The Church of Scotland is selling 100 historic buildings to free up funds after a drastic decline in the number of worshippers and ministers.
Churches, plots of land and former council houses, some dates back to the 1700s, have been listed for sale at prices ranging from £35,000 in what the Church has described as a “painful” move.
The institution said financial pressures have forced it to make “difficult” decisions on its future, adding it now owns “far more [churches] than is required”.
The Church of Scotland has lost a million members since 2001 and the majority of Scots now say they have no religion, according to the latest census data.
It is also grappling with a fall in clergy numbers. In 2022, the Church revealed it had lost 40pc of its ministers since 2000.
By ridding itself of centuries-old, energy-sapping buildings, the Church is hopeful it can “reduce the pressure on congregational finances”.
A Church of Scotland spokesman said: “We understand fully the wide range of emotions – anger, guilt, sorrow and relief that the burden of trying to keep a place of worship open with few people and little, if any contribution from other community sources, has finally been lifted.
“The Church owns thousands of properties, far more than required to achieve our primary mission of sharing the good news of Jesus Christ.
“It is going through a transformation and it is essential that the Church is properly equipped to be fit for purpose in the 21st century. Although buildings are cherished, they must not hinder progress.”
Historic buildings on the market include a quaint church in Laggan, Inverness-shire, for offers over £35,000, and the neo-gothic St Mary’s Greyfriars in Dumfries for bids over £38,000.
The impressive town church, which closes to worshippers for the final time on Thursday, measures 594 sqm and is a fraction of the £165,000 average house price in the area. However, like most of the churches on the market, its energy performance is in dire straits – holding the lowest EPC score of G.
The prominent St Marks in the heart of Aberdeen is the priciest property for sale, listed for £390,000. Other places of worship on the market include Kirkinner Church (£40,000) in Dumfries and Galloway, and Kirknewton Church (£215,000) in West Lothian.
Since unveiling its plan to significantly slim down its portfolio, the Church has been accused of disrespecting country dwellers by forcing them to make lengthy trips to neighbouring parishes.
The closure of the 900-year-old Birnie Kirk, Moray, caused uproar last year after being listed on the market. The historic church, which is one of the oldest in Scotland, is yet to be sold but will be released from ownership by 2027.
“The patterns of Church life have changed over the decades and we recognise that the speed and pace of the change has been difficult, challenging and a painful experience for man,” a spokesman said.
Birnie Kirk’s near 900-year run as a place of worship came to an end in November last year CREDIT: Peter Jolly/Northpix
The Church said its buildings “have the potential to be used for a variety of different purposes” – whether it be for residential, entertainment or education.
But, Andrew Boast, of SAM Conveyancing, a panel of surveyors and solicitors, warned potential buyers to be careful.
“No matter how enticing they may seem, you should err on the side of caution and not get too caught up in the excitement as churches can be far more tricky than the listing lets on,” he said.
“Churches are notoriously chilly and good at losing heat, making them tricky and expensive to keep warm.
“Converting them to residential or commercial buildings will involve navigating a complex maze of planning regulations and legal requirements – not to mention issues with conservation or significant historical statuses.”
Mr Boast said works are likely to be “met with a lot of bureaucratic red tape”, leading to lengthy delays and additional costs.
His thoughts are echoed by Emma Myrie, of specialist insurer Homeprotect: “A church or chapel may seem like a bargain based on the sale price alone, but factoring in the challenges around conversion, maintenance and upkeep could make it a false economy.”
The Church of England said it closes around 20 churches each year. Current listings show most up for sale are located in the north of the country.
Results of the 2021 census show that less than half the population of England and Wales describe themselves as Christian (46pc), a 13pc drop compared to the 2011 survey.
While the drop is sudden, it is not as stark as Scotland where only 20pc of the population class themselves as Christian.
There are grave fears for the passengers of a private plane that suddenly vanished mid-flight, sparking a major search off the coast of the US.
US authorities say the Gulfstream G100 lost contact with air traffic control about 2am local time on Saturday (4pm Saturday AET) while flying from L.F. Wade International Airport in Bermuda to Boston Logan International Airport.
The US Coast Guard said the Federal Aviation Administration alerted it after contact was lost with the aircraft – which plummeted from 23,500 feet to 11,000 feet in just three minutes, according to FlightAware data.
“We are praying for a safe outcome,” a spokesperson for Latitude Air Ambulance, which operates the missing plane, told City News.
A search is now under way off Nantucket in the air and on water as crews work to locate the missing jet, the Coast Guard said. Data from FlightRadar24 showed a number of aircraft searching south of the island.
Six people are missing after a private jet vanished, sparking a major search off the coast of Nantucket in the US.
The plane was en route from Bermuda to Boston when it vanished.
“Air & surface crews have launched in search of the aircraft. Updates will be provided here as info becomes available,” the Coast Guard Northeast District said on X.
The plane was carrying out a medical evacuation in Bermuda – a British overseas territory in the north Atlantic Ocean, according to Clarence Togeretz, Director of Flight Operations at Latitude Air Ambulance.
“We always get rather concerned when our crew doesn’t report to us in a timely manner,” he told NBC News.
“But I will say that again, optimistically and positively, that doesn’t mean that the worst has happened.”
Seventeen people were killed when eight gunmen stormed a bar close to Johannesburg on Saturday evening, with 15 more injured.
In a separate shooting in the early hours of Sunday morning, 10 people were killed outside an entertainment venue in a township near Cape Town and a further 11 were injured.
South Africa has one of the highest murder rates in the world and has struggled to contain gang-related gun violence in recent years. Police have not indicated a motive for either of the latest attacks.
In Johannesburg, gunmen opened fire on customers outside the bar before continuing the attack inside and torching two vehicles before fleeing.
Police said thirteen men and four women were killed.
Deputy provincial police commissioner Maj Gen Fred Kekana said the attack may have been a retaliation for an incident last month, in which one person was killed and another wounded, according to AFP news agency.
Speaking at the scene, he said police had clear pictures and in some cases names for the suspects.
In Cape Town, five victims died at the scene and a further five people died in hospital.
No arrests had been made in either case on Sunday morning.
The two mass shootings came days after 11 people were killed in the city of Duban when gunmen stormed a house in the KwaMakhutha township.
Illegal weapons are prevalent in South Africa and gun violence has been a persistent problem for decades, with about 60 murders recorded every day in the country of 62 million.
But a recent spate of mass shootings has raised fears that the problem is deepening, with violence often linked to turf wars between gangs engaged in drug trafficking and illegal mining.
In February, President Cyril Ramaphosa called organised crime “the most immediate threat to our democracy, our society and our economic development”.
Earlier this year the military was deployed alongside police in areas with the highest murder rates in an effort to reduce armed violence.
On Saturday a tenth woman’s body was found in Ekurhuleni, to the east of Johannesburg, with local police saying they were unable to rule out a serial killer operating in the area with similarities between the deaths. (BBC)
The United States has deported more than 25,000 people under secretive agreements with 35 countries to take migrants with no ties to those nations, according to an investigation published Monday.
Since US President Donald Trump took office in January 2025, Washington has been signing deals with developing countries to take migrants who cannot legally be sent home.
The investigation by Forbidden Stories found the administration has earmarked $410 million to be paid directly to the receiving countries, or to UN agencies to facilitate the returns.
At least 25,447 people had already been deported to third countries by August 31, 2026, according to data compiled by Forbidden Stories with a consortium of international journalists.
The vast majority — around 20,000 — were sent to Mexico, but the rest were dispersed to 27 other countries across Latin America, Africa, and the Pacific, and agreements have been finalised with seven more.
The deals vary, including over which nationalities can be deported and whether people with criminal records can be accepted.
An AFP investigation earlier this year found Washington is using visa bans and restrictions on African countries to strongarm them into accepting deportees.
Lawyers told AFP that deportees were being thrown into a “legal black hole”, held without charge in countries where they have no ties and few if any rights.
Forbidden Stories said 49 of Africa’s 54 countries had been approached about accepting third-country deportees.
A little-known State Department division called the Office of Remigration, created in May 2025, has handled most of the negotiations and payments, according to Forbidden Stories.
The office is headed by Christian Jove Ehrhardt, a 41-year-old diplomat who previously worked as a security officer.
The report details his visits to Cameroon, which signed a memorandum of understanding with the US in December on accepting deportees. A week later, it also signed a five-year health assistance programme worth nearly $400 million.
The following month, the State Department said it would provide a further $30 million to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) in Cameroon to “facilitate the voluntary return of refugees and combat illegal immigration.”
The first plane carrying deportees arrived in Cameroon on January 14.
– Payments –
Other agreements have involved direct payments to governments.
Palau, a small Pacific island nation with a population of under 18,000, signed an agreement in December 2025 to accept up to 75 third-country nationals in return for $7.5 million.
However, only three people have so far been sent under the agreement.
In Eswatini, 32 people have arrived since July 2025 out of a possible 160 under an agreement worth more than $5 million. It has accepted deportees with criminal records, the investigation found.
Of the $410 million planned for the agreements, internal State Department records showed that $81 million was earmarked for signatory governments.
The rest was intended for aid organisations, including more than $178 million for the UN’s International Organisation for Migration, and $123 million for UNHCR.
The agencies have faced criticism over their involvement, although UNHCR told Forbidden Stories that it was not party to the bilateral agreements and that US funding was being used in line with its mandate to strengthen asylum systems.
An IOM spokesperson told Forbidden Stories that the agency’s decisions to accept funding rested “on a single question: whether our engagement will improve the lives of the migrants affected. In these instances, we believe strongly it does.”
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